What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
New Exhibition
Victory!
This year marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
A new exhibition, called Victory, marks this significant milestone in world history, and the story of the RNZAF.
Victory includes images and memories of Victory in Europe (VE) Day which have been sourced from photographs, letters, postcards and personal histories in our collection.
Victory includes insights into how Kiwis celebrated, and how they felt.
Many found it difficult to rejoice after so much loss and suffering. While it was a day to celebrate, there was still a war in the Pacific to fight.
You’re welcome to come along and learn all about VE Day with us. The exhibition is on in our upstairs balcony in the atrium.
New Exhibition
The Mighty Hercules
We are delighted to let you know that our latest exhibition, the Mighty Hercules, is now open. Come and visit and learn all about this extraordinary aircraft.
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#Extraordinaryaircraft
Help us build a home for our #extraordinaryaircraft
Our Lockheed C-130H (NZ) Hercules and P-3K2 Orion have had long-term preservation work completed so they can be safely stored while we work on plans for a new permanent exhibition space large enough to house them.
Measuring 29.8m from nose to tail, with a wingspan of 40.5m and a tail soaring to just under 11m high, the Hercules is too large for our current exhibition halls. The Orion is almost as tall and even longer – stretching to 36m thanks to its submarine-detecting tail boom.
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Update
New charge for overseas visitors
A $15 entry charge was introduced for all international visitors to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from 31 March 2025. Tickets available online or from our Welcome Desk on arrival.
We were sorry to have to charge after being free for so many years, but the charge is required to cover rising costs and to contribute to our new $16 million extension to house the newest members of our collection – our historic Hercules and Orion aircraft.
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Our Aircraft
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URGENT GOLDEN CLARIFICATION: We’ve become aware of a considerable amount of confusion out there about the differences between the RNZAF’s Cessna Golden Eagle, the Golden McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and the Golden Ford Falcon.
This is hardly surprising because all three are streamlined, fast and are golden. And they're all named after birds!
So, before this avian contagion grows, we’re stepping in to clear up any lingering doubts with a handy guide to help you tell the golden trio apart at a glance.
First of all, we can immediately differentiate the Cessna Golden Eagle from the rest of the flock because of what's under the bonnet - or bonnets. The Golden Eagle you will see, if you peer closely enough, is a twin, with two 375-horsepower Continental GTS IO-520-H piston engines giving it a top speed of 440 km/h. The other two had single engines.
Now we've separated the Eagle from the nest, we can concentrate on its golden peers.
The differences between the Golden Falcon and the Golden Skyhawk may at first seem imperceptible, so let's delve under the feathers and look a little deeper.
The most obvious difference is the absence of a tailhook and drogue parachute on the golden Falcon, which are easy to spot on the golden TA-4K Skyhawk. The golden Falcon had to rely on its brakes for stopping power, with a back-up handbrake for emergencies. And sometimes fun.
The other key difference is the more rudimentary cockpit instrument configuration on the golden Falcon, and, in particular, the absence of a heads-up display (HUD). The HUD was standard on the post-Kahu upgrade Golden Skyhawk.
Finally, the seats are different. Ford decided not to include ejector seats in the Falcon, and even the flagship Fairmont model lacked the explosive devices. This omission undoubtedly hurt sales.
Douglas Escapac ejector seats came as standard on the TA-4K, adding excitement and survivability to what was already a sweet ride.
We hope this clears the confusion up.
You’re welcome.
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Another superbly detailed analysis from the museum's technical staff. However it overlooks more fundamental points of difference that would make the variations more obvious to those of us with limitations on our aviation expertise. It would appear that the Falcon and Skyhawk were fitted with wheels while the curiously named Golden(?) Eagle was not. Should have gone to Specsavers rather than delving into technical manuals?
The RNZAF Cessna 421C, Golden Eagles had the GTSIO 520 N model engines. The engine designation stands for: Geared (prop), Turbo Supercharged, Injectected, horizontally Oposed, 520 ci, N series engine. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
That ford would be awesome
I would never have described the Falcon as being fast 😂
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VC DAY: Today we remember the crew aboard Liberator BZ832/D, who perished after carrying out an audacious attack on a German submarine in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg being awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
On 11 August 1943, Flying Officer Trigg, Flying Officer Ivan Marinovich, Flight Sergeant Arthur Godfrey Bennett, Flight Sergeant Lawrence James Frost and Flight Sergeant Terence John Soper set off on a patrol from their air base at Rufisgue in French West Africa, now Senegal.
The crew spotted a surfaced German submarine, U468, and closed in for the attack. The U-boat turned its two anti-aircraft cannons to the aircraft and scored several devastating hits to the Liberator, setting it on fire.
The aircraft was crippled beyond saving, and it plunged into the sea a short distance from the U-boat, killing everyone aboard.
The U-boat was mortally wounded, and it sunk within 20 minutes. Seven of its crew members survived and were picked up by an Allied rescue party the next day, floating in a dinghy which had come from the crashed Liberator.
The captain of the U-boat was interrogated and provided an eyewitness account of the attack, which resulted in Lloyd Trigg’s recommendation for a Victoria Cross.
He remains the only serviceman ever to be awarded the VC solely on evidence provided by the enemy. He is one of only three New Zealand airmen to receive the medal.
Lloyd Trigg was only 29 when he died, and he was survived by his wife and two sons. Ivan Marinovich was 26, Arthur Bennett was 29, Lawrence Frost was 22 and Terence Soper was 21. They are commemorated on the Malta Memorial and on our Roll of Honour.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
You can read more here: airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/flying-officer-lloyd-allan-trigg-vc-dfc-submarine-hunter/
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RIP lads.Lest we forget.
RIP Lloyd knowing that your duty is done.
James Landers
The Captain of the U-Boat he sank was Leutnant Sur Zee Klement Schamong who was a veteran of the Imperial German Navy in the Great War, recalled to service, and was never a member of the Nazi Party. His son rose to be head of the West German Navy during the 1970s and early 80s. He enquired, when interrogated, on the rescuing Royal Naval ship if they knew the name of the pilot, stating that they should award him a medal, as making a second attack, already with his plane on fire, was the most courageous thing he had ever heard of, or witnessed, pressing the attack at such low level in heavy AA fire.
"Today we remember the crew aboard Liberator BZ832/D, who perished after carrying out an audacious attack on a German submarine in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg being awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross." ALSO< in the next paragraph: "from their air base at Rufisgue in French West Africa, now Senegal" SINCE WHEN IS SENEGAL IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA? Senegal is on the ATLANTIC Coast of West Africa, over 200km south from Gibraltar! By the way, the airbase they flew from, was in The Gambia, a long narrow country which is surrouded by Senegal EXCEPT on the coast. If you can't get basic facts right.... Also, the day his crew was posted as "Missing in Action" was the same day his CO was advised that F/O Trigg had been awarded a DFC for an attack he had on a U-boat while flying a Hudson, which made some months previously when serving in Coastal Command in the UK.
Air Force Museum of New Zealand it would be interesting to know what medals did the crew receive as a result of this brave action ?
Fellow crew member Terence Soper was from my hometown Takaka, Golden Bay, Nelson District. RIP
A distant relative.
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From New Zealand skies to the California desert. 🌏✈️🌵
The first of Coulson’s four newest C-130s - N4313L - has completed her journey to Thermal, and we captured every mile on video.
Watch the prep, the ferry flight, and the newest member of the fleet touch down in her new home. 📺 f.mtr.cool/ngdatochsk #coulsonaviation #c130 #aerialfirefighting ... See MoreSee Less
From New Zealand skies to the California desert. 🌏✈️🌵 The first of Coulson’s four newest C-130s - N4313L - has completed her journey to Thermal, and we captured every mile on video. Watch the prep, the ferry flight, and the newest member of the fleet touch down in her new home. 📺 https://f.mtr.cool/ngdatochsk #coulsonaviation #c130 #aerialfirefighting
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